If we told you Florida’s second-best RPI victory was over Middle Tennessee State, what would your reaction be? If we said the Gators have a losing record against teams in the top 25 of the RPI, that they are unlikely to play another team ranked that high before they enter the NCAA Tournament, that their league is rated only eighth among conferences, how much would you respect their achievements?

If we told you, however, the Florida wins its games by 23 points on average, including 26.5 in conference, what would you say then? The Gators are ranked No. 1 in the Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings, No. 1 in the Sagarin ratings and probably No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

This is the Florida conundrum.

We know they are terrific. A basketball team cannot accomplish what Florida has—18 victories against two defeats—without being terrific. The Gators play in a conference, however, so profoundly weak it exposes them to so few challenges we struggle to gain an accurate reading on how terrific they are.

The entire SEC has only two victories against the RPI top 25. The league is 15-33 against the other five BCS conferences. Only four teams in the conference, including the Gators, rank in the RPI top 50.

There is the additional oddity of Florida having played its best league opponents to date at home, Missouri and Ole Miss, and Kentucky will follow them into the O-Dome on Feb. 12.

It seems inescapable that if the name of Florida’s conference said anything other than “SEC”—if this were John Calipari’s Memphis rampaging through Conference USA, or some of Mark Few’s better Gonzaga teams in the WCC—there would doubtless be skeptics regarding the breadth of the Gators’ achievements.

Here’s something else to ponder as the Gators go on the road Tuesday to disappointing Arkansas in a 7 p.m. game ESPN will televise: In the past 10 NCAA Tournaments, only three teams were presented No. 1 seeds with a losing record against the RPI top 25, and only three got No. 1 seeds with just a single top-25 victory.

What do we make of the Gators? We’ll get our answer in the end, but we may have to be patient.

Game to watch

North Carolina State (16-6, 5-4 ACC) at Duke (19-2, 6-2), Thursday 9 p.m. ESPN3. When the Wolfpack beat Duke roughly three weeks ago, it seemed as though they were on course to contend for the conference title that has eluded them for so long. They’ve lost four of six since, and this threatens to make it five of seven. The Pack are dangerously close to opening the NCAA Tournament in an 8/9 game, which was not what everyone had in mind when the season began.

Matchup to watch

Pierre Jackson, Baylor point guard, vs. Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State point guard, Wednesday 7 p.m. ESPN. Things had gone quiet around Smart as the Cowboys were introduced to the Big 12 road and lost each of their first three such games. Then they stepped into the league’s most dangerous nest and Smart reminded us all how genuinely special he is. He’s such a great teammate he’s now habitually giving the ball to teammates and allowing them to shoot; if they score he’s got an assist, and if they miss he goes and grabs the offensive rebound. He had eight in the Kansas game, along with 25 points, 3 assists, 5 steals. If not for his five missed 3-pointers and five turnovers it might have been the single best performance anyone delivered this season. It might be, anyway.

Rivalry to watch

Ohio State (17-4, 7-2 Big Ten) at Michigan (20-2, 7-2), Tuesday 9 p.m. ESPN. Yes, it’s not the same in basketball. But it’s become rather personal for Wolverines star Trey Burke, who has been shut down by Buckeyes defensive ace Aaron Craft in three of their four meetings. And there’s this: In Michigan’s current four-game stretch of torture, this might be considered the easy game.

Hidden game to watch

Belmont (19-4, 10-0 Ohio Valley) at Murray State (16-5, 7-2), Thursday 8 p.m., ESPN. Back when Belmont was in the Atlantic Sun and Murray State had the Ohio Valley as its domain, both of these teams might have ended this season in the NCAA Tournament. Now, it’s likely only one will get to go. You think conference realignment has repercussions only for college sports heavyweights?